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Things to know
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Disappointing
International Year of the Dolphin 2007
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The past "Year of the Dolphin"
of the United Nations was in the opinion of animal conservationits a failure.
The result was more than disappointing, criticized the German Society for the
rescue of the dolphins (GRD).
During the year 2007 the Chinese river dolphin became extinct, other populations
are acutely threatened and the Secretary's office to protect small whales of
North and Baltic Seas had been disbanded.
In the "Year of the Dolphin" a lot of money for conferences |
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and educational campaigns
had been spent. For activities to the survival or extinction of the marine mammals
there was not enough money.
The core themes of the dolphin protection include overfishing of the food resources,
catch, dolphin massacre in front of the Japanese coast or the re-introduction
of driftnet-fishing in the Mediterranean Sea. The UN extended the "Year
of the Dolphin 2007" by one year until the end of 2008.
(Source: www.bluewin.ch)
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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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The
Threats for the Dolphins
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Today the blue planet is a dangerous
place with many threats for dolphins, which are mainly caused by men. The scientific
estimates of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (www.wdcs.de.org) assume
an annual bycatch of about 300'000 whales and dolphins - solely caused by the
deep-sea fishing industry. The majority of them are dolphins. Moreover, overfishing
of the food resources for dolphins are becoming scarce.
Another problem: The marine mammals are at the end of the food chain. Over the
years, they accumulate through the food intake high pollutant concentrations.
It comes to organ damage, reproductive rate decreases, the immune system is
weakened, and the mortality rate is increasing.
In addition, many confounding factors impact on the habitat of the dolphins:
A key factor for animals living in the sea is the vessel traffic with its immense
high noise levels. River dolphin populations are often separated by the construction
of dams |
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and, consequently, the
genetic diversity for the continued existence is no longer guaranteed. Not to
mention the caught dolphins in the aquarium tanks - an issue which itself is
dynamite.
Yet another threat is omnipresent: Dolphins are being followed for commercial
reasons. The so-called "Drive Fishery", the bloodthirsty hunt in Japanese
waters and also on the Faroe Islands, which belong to Denmark.
This all results that today many of the 35 marine and 5 river dolphin species
are threatened or endangered highly. This statement is given by the conservation
organizations and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). If not acted
quickly, the endangered species could become extincted in the foreseeable future.
The clock for this disastrous and extremely worrying development runs - incessantly!
(Source: www.unterwasser.de)
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Horrible
Slaughter of Dolphins in Japan
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During drive hunts, fishermen panic
and confuse migrating pods of dolphins and other small whales with loud banging,
then herd them, by the hundreds, into shallow coves, and then butcher them one
by one. Every year, more than 20,000 small cetaceans of several species, some
of which are endangered, including bottlenose dolphins, striped dolphins, spotted
dolphins, Risso's dolphins, short-finned pilot whales, white sided dolphins,
and false killer whales, are killed or taken in the drives, sometimes illegally.
This cruel and inhumane practice is sanctioned and controlled by the Government
of Japan, which claims that these animals compete with the fishermen and slaughtering
them is a |
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means of pest control,
but no evidence for this claim exists.
The dolphins are processed and used as pet food or fertilizer and the government
is encouraging the consumption of dolphin meat.
For the first time there is now a video available to public. Please be aware
that this video is indeed very cruel but it shows how ignorant, inconsiderate
and brutal those animals get slaughtered. If you don't want to watch the video
please go directly to the petition. If you want to see the truth: After seeing
this video you will sign the petition for sure.
(Source: www.thepetitionsite.com)
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